This Season, Richard Gere is the new Cary Grant

Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez in Shall We Dance.

I have often heard Madonna compared to Marilyn Monroe. Life magazine once named Tom Hanks the new Jimmy Stewart. I have personally made comparisons between Cate Blanchett and Katharine Hepburn. As a movie buff it is sometimes fascinating to note similarities between classic movie stars and more contemporary ones. I recently saw Shall We Dance, and was struck by how much Richard Gere reminds me of Cary Grant.

If you were to picture Cary Grant or Richard Gere in your mind, I bet you would have them both in a suit. It seems to be both actors’ costume of choice. Grant almost always appeared on screen well dressed. Gere helped spread the popularity of Armani by wearing his suits in American Gigolo.

One of Grant's first roles was playing a sex object to Mae West in I'm No Angel. One of Gere’s first roles was playing a sex object to Diane Keaton in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Both actors retained their sex symbol status well into middle age and beyond.

Both actors made movies with some of the most famous, beautiful women of their generation's. Grant appeared on screen with Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Ingrid Bergman, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly and more than once with Katharine Hepburn, to name a few. Gere has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Jodi Foster, Helen Hunt, Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zellweger, Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts more than once, to name a few.

Grant was rumored to be a homosexual, although his exwife claimed otherwise in a recent documentary. Gere as well has had to deal with the gay rumor. He and one-time wife, Cindy Crawford, even took out a full page add in a major newspaper announcing their heterosexuality in an attempt to put gay gossip to rest.

What I find most interesting about comparing these two actors is that they both bring similar qualities to the screen. Both have allowed their hair to gray naturally on screen. It makes them each seem more human yet self-assured. Both have played a variety of roles but will always be thought of as charming, sophisticated romantic leads.

Each actor has made his mark on Hollywood. The scene of Grant running from the plane in North by North West is etched into every movie buff's brain. Likewise, the scene in An Officer and a Gentlemen where Gere walks through the factory in full dress navy whites and carries Debra Winger off, is considered one of the most romantic endings of any love story.

Some have said that Hugh Grant is the new Cary Grant, but I strongly disagree. The only thing they share is their last name and country of birth, England. Hugh's characters to often come across as wimpy and insecure. Gere, like Cary Grant, almost always plays a confident man in control. A well-dressed, charming, confident man in control to be more specific.